Over ¥6 Trillion Bet on Sports Through Overseas Websites; Tokyo Symposium Proposes Ratifying Macolin Convention

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:40 JST, May 15, 2025

Residents of Japan are estimated to have illegally bet at least ¥6.4503 trillion through overseas sports betting websites in 2024, according to a recent report.

The Council for Sports Ecosystem Promotion, a general incorporated foundation that works to support the sports industry, unveiled the report on Wednesday at a symposium held in Tokyo.

The council commissioned an overseas research firm and other organizations to estimate the amount of betting from Japan, based on data from betting operators in countries where it is legal to gamble on sports. According to the survey, the total amount exceeded ¥6 trillion, of which ¥1.0183 trillion was wagered on Japanese sports.

The largest value of bets on Japanese sports were placed on professional baseball at ¥528.1 billion, followed by soccer at ¥333.4 billion and basketball at ¥86.9 billion.

A total of ¥4.9112 trillion was wagered from around the world on Japanese sports, with soccer, including the J-League, accounting for ¥2.8534 trillion.

At the symposium, Diet members and former athletes were among those discussing the need for international cooperation to address illegal gambling that crosses borders and the risk of athletes becoming involved in illegal acts. It was proposed that Japan ratify the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, known as the Macolin Convention, which was put into effect in 2019 by the Council of Europe.

Symposium participants also called for cracking down on illegal operators and identifying cheating.

“Illegal betting is spreading rapidly, and if nothing is done, the Japanese sports industry could become a target,” said sports promotion council member Toshikazu Yamaguchi, the president of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings.

Attorney Hironori Inagaki, representative director of the council, said the council intends to quickly establish a domestic organization with the aim of ratifying the convention.